Off to School (#39)

This layout was based on a sketch... emphasis on WAS!  I ended up combining a few different sketches and ideas I found and it morphed into something that didn't really resemble what I started with, so I'm not even going to link it.  I'll save it for later :) and maybe I'll make a page that resembles the original sketch.

Supplies; patterned paper (Fancy Pants, Prima); brads, washi tape (My Mind's Eye); twine (LilyBelle's Paperie on Etsy); bag (Whisker Inc.); paper clips, manilla tag (office supply); ink (Ranger); button (Fancy Pants)

Kiwi Lane Templates: Large Brackets, Paisley Place, Tiny Tags, Tiny Brackets

I love adding actual office supplies to school-themed layouts.  This one had the manilla tag and paper clips.  I added washi tape to the yellow paper clip on the little bag and it made it look like a little flag.  I loved all the school elements in this paper from Fancy Pants- they have one sheet that is just flash cards and I cut one out for the perfect little accent.  My little brown paper bag (reminiscent of brown bag lunches) also has another smaller accent- a journaling card that looks like a page from a teacher's grade book.  Great collection of papers and I loved how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

What a Lovely Meltdown (#38)

This page ended up being the companion page to the layout here and has hidden journaling that tells the story of what REALLY happens when we take the kids out for a photo shoot (and explains why I didn't attempt it last year):

Supplies: patterned paper, stickers, die cuts (Authentique); twine (LilyBelles on Etsy); brads, manilla tags (craft supply); ink (Ranger)

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

September's Sincerely for Kiwi Lane (#35, 36, 37)

Hello Kiwi Fans!  and all others who may stumble upon this blog :)  Today I have a few cards for Kiwi Lane's Sincerely.  I was given the assignment of "Back to School" and immediately I thought of crayons, pencils, notebook paper and chalkboards and that's what ended up on these cards!

A+

Supplies: patterned paper, stamp (Imaginisce); card stock (Provo Craft, Bazzill); ink (Ranger, Tsukinedo); alphabet stickers (DCWV); ribbon (Offray); circle punch (EK Success)

Kiwi Lane Templates: Thoughtful 2B, Tiny Wacky 3T, Tiny Accents 4T, Tiny Tags 3T, Adorn 2A

For this card, I stamped the notebook paper on white card stock, cut it out and added letter stickers.  I also made a pencil using layers of the same template shape.  Here's how:

First, cut a full tag shape out of cream colored paper (this serves as the base for all your layering and ends up only showing the tip of the pencil) like this:

 Then cut another full tag out of yellow paper (I used a pattern for a bit more interest) and cut the tip off with those zig zag scissors that I know you have ;)  like this:

 Turn the yellow paper so the back side is showing and score every 1/4".  This makes raised lines and adds some texture to your pencil.  You can use a scoring board or the groove in your paper trimmer:

 Now use sandpaper or a sanding block to gently sand off the surface of the scored lines, exposing the white core (if you used a solid core card stock, use a bit of ink on a dauber to add some ink to the scored lines instead) like this:

 Next, trace just part of the tag onto pink cardstock for the eraser like this:

 Layer your yellow paper and eraser on the pencil base and add the "metal" part of your pencil just below the eraser using a silver metallic ribbon (I used 1/8", but 1/4 would also work) like this:

 As the final touch to your pencil, punch a 1/2" circle out of black cardstock and adhere it to the point of the pencil like this:

Now all you have to do is trim off the extra black card stock and silver ribbon and you have a pencil!

#1 Teacher

Supplies: patterned paper (Imaginisce, Prima); card stock (Provo Craft); ribbon (Pebbles); crayon (Crayola); ink (Ranger)

Kiwi Lane Templates: Tiny Tags 3T, Tiny Wacky 1T, Tiny Strips, Tiny Shapes 8T

This card has a crayon, also made out of the tiny tags! I'll show you how in just a bit...  But, I wanted to point out that I used crayon to write the sentiment (I also tried writing it with my left hand to make it look like a child wrote it, but it was unreadable!).  Remember that in your card making, you can use things that you normally would never use for your scrapbook layouts, like writing with crayons and pencils.  You don't have to worry about your card materials being archival quality and acid free, which opens up a whole world of options.

So here's the step by step for the crayon:

Trace the tag on card stock like this:

 Then make a dotted line across the tag, separating the tip from the rest.  Move the tip down a bit and trace again, only going to the dotted line.  Make another line at the top to mark where you will cut the point off the tip to make the flat crayon top.  Like this:

 Now erase the outside line where you have doubles, and the pointy part of the tip.  This is what you should have left:

Cut along the solid lines (NOT the dotted line) and you have your crayon base.  Just flip it over (or erase all the lines), add a "wrapper" and whatever you want to use to embellish it and you're done!

Back 2 School

Supplies: patterned paper (Imaginisce, Prima); card stock (Provo Craft); twine (SupplyOwl on Etsy); "school" sticker (DCWV); glitter letter stickers (Making Memories); ribbon (Offray); ink (Ranger)

Kiwi Lane Templates: Tiny Holiday 4T, Tiny Accents 4T, Adorn 3A & B

While Kiwi Lane does not currently have an apple template, you can think outside the box a little and use a pumpkin with a bit of modification.  I trimmed the bottom so it looked more like an apple, and I made the stem more rounded. 

So, I would love to see what you come up with from looking at these school-inspired cards!  Leave a link in the comments so I can take a peek!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

I {heart} Games (#34)

Supplies: cardstock (Provo Craft); patterned paper, journaling spot, stickers (Echo Park); brads (My Mind's Eye); ink (Ranger); twine (craft supply)

Kiwi Lane Designs Templates: Tiny Tags, Tiny Brackets

This layout is based on the Pearl #1 sketch for Scrapbooksteals.com.  I must say, this is not anywhere close to my usual style, but I had a lot of fun creating this layout!  And because it used smaller pieces of paper, I could use scraps from a line that I wouldn't usually be able to use on anything but cards.  This would also be easy to create using a 6x6 pad of paper.  It really is one of my favorite layouts lately!  And a big THANKS to my friend Susan.  She sent me the twine that I used on the banner.  It originally had a green strand in there, too, but it didn't quite go together so I took it out and it was perfect!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

??? (#33)

Hmm... I just realized that I didn't ever title this page.  I should find it and fix that!

Supplies: patterned paper, stickers (Echo Park); card stock (craft supply); journaling stamp (Autumn Leaves); twine, brads (craft supply)

Kiwi Lane Design Template: Tags

Simple 4th of July page (tired of seeing those yet? ;)  )  The wavy edge was done with a wavy edge ruler- you just press it onto your paper and tear.  There are a few manufacturers that make them, but I use the Fiskars brand.  And they come in a few different patterns.  It just adds a bit more dimension to an edge without a lot of work.

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

I Love this Time of Year (#32)

 Supplies: patterned paper, die cuts (Authentique); fabric flowers (Bazzill); paper flowers (Prima); brads (My Mind's Eye); paper flower chain (Doodlebug); butterflies (Momenta); ink (Ranger)

Kiwi Lane Design Templates: Paisley Place, Strips

I love fall leaves, and these were some of my favorite photos from a few years ago.  My mom took them and I think they are beautiful!  I found these transparent layered butterfly stickers at Big Lots for $1.  I used two of them for this project and there are still six or so left for a few more projects.  Here's a close up of the group of flowers and butterfly:

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

4th of July Luau (#31)

 Supplies: cardstock, patterned paper, letter stickers (Echo Park); brads (My Mind's Eye); twine (The Twinery); buttons, jewel stickers (Doodlebug); punches (EK Success, Martha Stewart Crafts); ink (Ranger)

Kiwi Lane Designs Templates: Scallops, Spooky, Tags

This layout was based on the Scrapbooksteals.com Pearl #3 sketch.  I added more photos and have to admit, I think it's a little cluttered.  I should have stuck to the original sketch a little better and not squished everything in.  Other than that, I like it- the colors in the paper are bright and fun and fit the feeling of the photos perfectly!  Here's a closer look at the tiny photo in the bottom right corner along with the embellishments.

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

Jonathan (#30)

Supplies: patterned paper, alphabet stickers, die cuts (Authentique); brads (Doodlebug); ink (Ranger)

Kiwi Lane Design Templates: Happy Trails, Tags, Strips

I'm pretty sure this was based on the Scrapbooksteals.com Pearl #7 when I started it... then I veered away from the sketch.  I guess there's still a slight resemblance :)  

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

Let's Go Fly a Kite (#29)

If you're a frequent visitor of this blog, you may have noticed the recent lack of posts that contain pictures of projects.  Well, that is about to be rectified.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

 (I don't know what is up with the color in this pic... I tried to fix it, but to no avail.)

Supplies: cardstock (DCWV, Core'dinations); patterned paper, stickers, journaling card ( Echo Park); twine, buttons, brads (craft supply); ink (Ranger)

So no sketch for this layout.  Just wanted to use up a bunch of scraps.  So I punched squares for around the perimeter of the page, added a block in the middle for the photo, title and journaling and made a cute little paper pieced kite, some buttons, stickers and brads and... Ta da!  All done!  Super easy page that took a total of 30 minutes to do (but, of course, I didn't get to to it in one sitting.  This was 30 minutes of working here and there over the course of three days).  And a big THANKS to my friend Susan who sent me the twine to play with.  It actually had a strand of green on it, too, but it wasn't the right color.  I took that off and the blue and white that remained was perfect!  I just noticed that I didn't use a  KLD template for this LO... weird.... I didn't think it was possible for my creativity to work without them!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

I Think I Just Might Be A Chicken...

I know, I know.  I haven't had any scrap happy fun on here for a few weeks, but it's been crazy with school starting (both the daughter's new school and the hubby's Master's program), getting another cold (really?!?) and just trying to get in a new groove with a new schedule.  I haven't done anything besides layouts for the shop and a few (dozen) cards for special orders.  And it's driving me crazy!!  I have sketches printed and taped to the wall around my creative place that are calling my name... Anyway, no layouts on this post either.  Yep, boring.

So why do I think I'm a chicken?  I keep seeing calls for design teams.  And I keep going to those websites that tell the requirements for each design team member.  I have read each requirement carefully and thought to myself, "I could do that!" I have discussed with hubby what the requirements for each call have been, I have pulled out layouts that show my style/s of scrapping, and I have started to write the short essays that most calls ask you to do.  And then, after I've looked at my work and my words, I've talked myself out of submitting anything for any design team calls.  Why?  I think it's part fear of failure, part fear of filling my plate too full and ignoring more important things like the family, and part a feeling of inadequacy.  Silly?  Maybe.  But I just can't seem to get over that bump and commit to trying for something that I might not get.  True, I'm already on a design team, which means I've done it before, right?  Nope.  The ladies at Kiwi Lane asked me to be on their design team.  They have been my friends for a few years and gave me the option of participating or not.  I love using their product so much that the decision was simple.  And there was no scary application process.

So here's my question(s) for you, my readers: Have you ever applied for a design team?  Do you have any tips for me to get over my chicken-ness?

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

August's Sincerely for Kiwi Lane (#26, #27 & #28)

If you have been sitting on the edge of your seat and checking for this post every 15 minutes for the last couple of hours, my sincere apologies!  I went to publish this post right after Kiwi Lane posted this month's Sincerely on their blog and *SuRpRiSe!!*  NO internet... at all!!  And for some reason my phone doesn't let me log into certain sites and this is one of them (the other one is Etsy- two of the top three sites I use on a daily basis.  Of course!) so I couldn't do it from there.... I was getting close to asking my neighbors (who I don't really know) if I could use theirs- desperate times!

This month's Sincerely assignment was notecards.  To me, notecards are those cards that aren't for any specific reason, just a little note to someone to help brighten their day.  It's those little notes that you love to get in the mail or stuck in your front door... and it doesn't hurt if there is a sweet treat with it ;)  So I came up with three cards for this week.  And they are easy!!  How do I know?  I started them on Tuesday afternoon and had pictures done and submitted later that night.  And I went to Back to School Night within that time frame, too.  Yep, still a procrastinator... I'll let you know if that ever changes, but don't hold your breath :)

Just a Quick Note:

Supplies: card stock (craft supply); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); ink (Ranger); stamp (Studio G)

Kiwi Lane Templates: Tiny Wildflower, Tiny Nature, Adorn

This card is pretty self explanatory- I just used the templates, traced, cut, inked and adhered.  Then I added a stamp using distress ink (the same one I used on the edges) to give it a slightly worn look to match the paper.  This card is completely flat and could easily be mailed without extra postage.

Just a little FYI- I used My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline paper for all the cards in this post.  It was the paper kit that Kiwi Lane had a few months ago, so if you were able to snag one and have leftovers, I highly suggest you make some of these!

Just for You:

Supplies: same as previous card, plus a button (Provo Craft) and twine (LillyBelle's Paperie Etsy shop)

Kiwi Lane Templates: Adorn, Tiny Accents, Tiny Brackets, Tiny Tags, Tiny Strips

This was a very rough interpretation of this week's Monday Card Madness (#97) at Scrapbooksteals.com.  I always appreciate the inspiration I get from their sketches!  Again, pretty self explanatory.  Trace, cut, ink, adhere, stamp and then add a button with twine.  I did curl the petals of the flower for some dimension.  If you wanted it flat, just trade the button for a piece of paper and don't curl the petals.

Butterflies:

Supplies: same as first plus baker's twine (Divine Twine) and jewels (K&Company, Doodlebug)

 Kiwi Lane Templates: Tiny Nature, Mini Photos, Mini Scallops, Mini Strips.

This is not a standard A2 card like the previous two.  This is a 5x7, which may not really qualify as a notecard, but it can be for just a note (a really LONG note!), so I think it counts!  Again, just trace, cut, ink, adhere.  But before you adhere the butterflies, fold/curl their wings to add some more dimension, if you'd like.  Then add jewels for some sparkle!  Here's a little closer look at the butterflies:

Well, that's all I have for you today.  I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

#25

Are you ready for more 4th of July??  Well, if you aren't, I suggest you stop reading... now.  These are all from the same year, mind you.  But, I think I'm making a dent in my photos- I can actually move the photos in my box! (They have been pretty smashed in there- so much so that when I would go to take out one, it would pull up a few more.)  I'm not even going to worry about the other photos that are in other places for now, just the box.  Then I can do the rest... good plan?  I thought so ;)

This layout was based on a Scrapbooksteals.com sketch- Pearl 4a:

Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill, craft supply); patterned paper (Echo Park); buttons (Basic Grey, Doodlebug, craft supply); twine (Lillybelle's Paperie on Etsy); flags (Pebbles, Inc.); alphabet stickers (American Crafts, Authentique); ink (Colorbox, Ranger); pen (Staedtler); thread (craft supply)

Kiwi Lane Designs templates: Scallops 1 A&B, strips, photos

 You may have noticed that the original sketch is for a single page. And I intended to narrow down my pics and use just three, but I couldn't seem to get them narrowed down to less than 5, so I stretched out the layout and made it a two pager- and I really like how it turned out!  I used my sewing machine to stitch around the border on the plaid paper and to stitch across the star paper, making more of a defined edge by the scalloped border.  I used my trusty Scor-pal to make the little paper rosettes.

I've probably said this before, but I'm going to say it again- if you haven't tried using a sketch to jump start a layout, you should definitely give it a try next time your creative juices are running low!  If it doesn't fit what you are working with, adjust it!  You can take just a few elements out of the sketch and use them on your layout, or do an exact replica... the possibilities are endless!  And you can use KLD templates for elements on nearly any sketch- I do it all the time and it makes it so much faster!  You should try it, then come back here and let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

#23 & #24

So you know how I had a bunch of layouts posted that were all Christmas themed?  It was because I never had Christmas paper on hand.  Well, I'm finding the same to be true of 4th of July- I had years of 4th of July celebration photos that weren't scrapbooked because I didn't ever have the right paper (I know that some of you reading this are in disbelief that *I* would not have a certain type of paper on hand!)  Well, I happened to see a 50% off sale for 4th of July themes paper and embellishments at one of the online stores I frequent (one of the MANY stores I check on at least a weekly basis), and FREE shipping- now who could resist that?  Certainly not me!  So I grabbed some Authentique, Pebbles and Echo Park paper, put it in my virtual cart and waited for my goodies to arrive.  After having them sitting on my (messy) desk for over a month, I finally got the chance to play last night- Yay!  And I took photos today- bigger yay!- to share with you!

#23
This was based on a Midweek Mojo Sketch at Scrapbooksteals.com- Pearl 5b

Supplies: patterned paper, stickers (Echo Park); journaling cards (Pebbles, Inc.); felt ribbon (Creative Imaginations); border punches (Martha Stewart Crafts); ink (Ranger); pen (Zig)

Kiwi Lane templates: Large Brackets 2 (and after I made them, I realized that I should have used the tag templates for my tags- it would have saved me some time trying to do a perfect cut freehand)

#24
This layout was based on the August monthly sketch at Authentique-

Supplies: patterned paper, stickers, (Authentique); card stock (Core'dinations, craft supply); jewels and stars (Jo-Ann); thread (craft supply); pen (Zig)

 Kiwi Lane templates: Cascade Trails 3 A&B, Adventure 1 & 2, Accents 3T

I LOVE how this layout turned out- and really, photos don't do it justice!  I distressed the edges of the stars and the wavy borders and I used my sewing machine to sew around the page and along the borders.  I also stitched the red star.  I added a few stickers from the collection, some jewel stars and did my journaling on the background paper.  What do you think?  I will admit, it kept veering off course along the way and didn't end up exactly like the original sketch, but I still like it!   Here's a more detailed shot of the stitching:

I guess that's all for today.  I have a pile of 4th of July photos and paper on my desk right now that I hope to be able to work with today... if only laundry did itself {sigh}

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

Playing Catch... Up (and #22)

Have you ever gotten sick right in the middle of something else that is keeping you extremely busy?  And then that sickness makes it so you can barely function and you fall behind?  And it takes you WEEKS to catch up on what you fell behind with??  Well, that's exactly what happened to me... LAST MONTH!!  I went out of town for my little brother's wedding and started getting what I assumed was a little cold.  Well, that "little cold" ended up giving me a fever that was pushing 104 for 4 days, and then a bronchial infection that I thought was going to escalate to pneumonia... lovely.  I was in bed for about 5 days- and if you know me at all, you know that it takes a lot for me to be down that long!!  Well, the good news is that it didn't progress to pneumonia, but it did take me a few weeks before I felt like I could breathe normally again.  And in the middle of this I was supposed to be making things for special orders in my Etsy shop, making things from Kiwi Lane's new paper kits for their birthday celebration, making my brother's wedding present (an 8x8 album), keeping new layouts in the shop, potty training my son and all the cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking and taxi driving that goes along with being a stay at home mom!!  Obviously some of these things fell through the cracks- sadly, it was all the mommy stuff.  And all the work stuff was done with a tired brain, so not my best work ever-  Shhh, don't tell ;)  So have I caught up yet?  NOPE!!  But, Etsy was down this morning when I was trying to do new listings, so I decided to get on the computer and ramble... ha!

Anyway, that's how my summer has been- how's yours?

One of the things I did while I was trying to get better was a banner- my first banner!- for Kiwi Lane out of one of their new paper kits.  My assignment was to make something for their birthday celebration last weekend out of one or both of their new paper kits.  The letter that came with my kits said BIRTHDAY about half a dozen times.  They wanted BIRTHDAY themed layouts, cards and the like. So I looked at the paper kits and thought I wanted to try something other than cards- since I am always making cards and I felt like doing something new.  I started with the idea of a "Celebrate" banner made out of one kit and ended up with a "Family" banner made out of the other kit... yep, not birthday themed at all!  I don't even know how my brain went on the track it did!  But, it wasn't until I was done and sent pictures to Kiwi Lane before I realized that I didn't do what I was supposed to!  All I can say is D'OH!!

So here is my project that was not birthday themed, but probably should have been:

We don't have any walls with great lighting to get a fabulous photo of it, but I think you can get the idea.  The paper kit is from the Kiwi Lane website and is My Mind's Eye Indie Chic.  The base for the banner is a chipboard album that I pulled apart and I used a Crop-A-Dile to punch another hole.  I used KLD templates for all the flowers and the borders.  I think I need to add more stuff to the banner- like actual ribbon instead of twine, some stickles and maybe some more pearls and jewels... I don't know.  It may just end up staying in my kitchen until I decide exactly what I need to add... or until we move.  ;)

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Scrapping!

July's Sincerely Cards for Kiwi Lane (a.k.a #19, #20 & #21)

I have a confession to make... or maybe a few confessions.  Every Monday before the third Wednesday, I wake up thinking, "OH, CRAP!  I have a Sincerely submission due today!!"  Yep, I'm a true procrastinator.  I have about a month between each submission, my assignment for each month for the rest of the year, and all the supplies to do it, and I usually start and finish it the day of.  Now, if you know me at all, you will also know that I don't like mornings.  And you will also know that I REALLY don't like Monday mornings!  So this realization that something is due on a Monday morning, and I haven't started on it any more than thinking about it briefly, is not a fun one!  That being said, I have to say that I love Kiwi Lane Designs Templates!!  Why?  Because they let my half-asleep-brain work quickly to create things without having to think harder than I can handle on a Monday morning.  And if they let me do that, just imagine what they can do for you when you're fully awake (and it's not Monday morning!)!!  So, moving on to the reason you came~

Birthday Star:

Finished card size: 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Supplies: card base (DCWV); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); rhinestone star (Teresa Collins); ink (Ranger); pen (ZIG); circle punches (Marvy Uchida, EK Success)
Templates: Spook Alley 1B, Rings 2, Tiny Shapes 7T, Adventure 1&2.

I have been seeing chevrons everywhere in recent... months!  Have you?  I just really wanted to see if I could use them on this batch of cards and with the templates.  I like that this card ended up with masculine elements like chevrons, stars and a bulls eye type of design (the layers of circles).  And I had to throw in one glittery element with the rhinestone star :)

Wondering how to make chevrons with the templates?  It's easy peasy... and here's how:

Use one of the zig zag borders from the Spook Alley template set (not just for Halloween anymore!) and mark (with a pencil) how long you want your chevron to be.  Trace one zig zag line on your paper.

 Move the template away from the line you just made, keeping it evenly spaced from the entire length of the traced line.  Trace again.

Repeat this for as many time as you need to get the desired number of chevrons.  Cut with scissors and ink, and you're done!  Use them on your projects as you'd like.  Just remember to make sure you have the template the same way for each paper, if you're using multiple papers.

Birthday Balloons:

Finished Card Size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Supplies:  card base (DCWV); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); vellum (Provo Craft); twine (Lilly Belles Paperie on Etsy, SupplyOwl on Etsy); ink (Ranger); pen (ZIG); felt rick rack (Creative Imaginations); stamp (Studio G)
Templates:  Sentiments 1 A&B, Celebrate 1, 2, & 3

Do you have a stash of vellum like I do?  I haven't seen it used very much recently and thought I'd challenge myself to use it a bit more than usual.  Balloons seemed to be a perfect fit!  The vellum balloon is sheer enough to see part of the sentiment through.  I used a single mini glue dot under the twine to adhere it to the card (it hides the glue enough that it isn't seen).  I left the strings on the balloons long to make it more interactive- perfect for a curious little boy!!

It's Your Day Gift Card Holder/ Card:

Finished Card Size: 5"x7"
Supplies: cardstock (Provo Craft); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); star punches (Carl); twine (Lilly Belles Paperie on Etsy, SupplyOwl on Etsy); alphabet letters (Making Memories); felt rick rack (Creative Imaginations); ink (Ranger)
Templates: Tiny Tags 1T, Celebrate 6, Tiny Wildflower 2T

I started out wanting to make this into just a small gift card holder, but somehow it morphed into a full fledged card with a gift card holder that looked like a gift.  Cute, huh?  I know, it's not a gift card in the holder, it's my alumni card.  I couldn't find a gift card anywhere in our house and this was the only card  I found that didn't clash with the primary colors on the card... but, wouldn't a Target gift card look fabulous??  Anyway, the easiest way to make the part to hold the GC is this:  Cut a piece of paper just bigger than the card.  Ink the edges.  Use removable tape or glue dots to adhere card to paper.  Tie baker's twine around the card and paper like you would tie ribbon around a gift.  Don't double knot!!  You want a bow that's easy to untie so the recipient can actually remove the gift card without destroying the card!

The top of the party hat is a loopy pom pom made from more baker's twine.  I used a 1" glue dot to adhere it to the card and keep the strands separated.  Then I added the star punches on top of the twine. I had to glam it up a bit with small glittered alphabet stickers for the sentiment :)

Hope you had fun seeing my cards!  Comments and questions are always welcome!

Happy Scrapping!!

#18

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Authentique? ;)  Ya, I know.  I'm a little obsessed!  But can you blame me?  Have you seen their Gathering collection?  Well, if not, here's your chance?  This layout was done using their Gathering collection and their July monthly sketch:

Supplies: patterned paper, die cuts, orange letter stickers, word stickers (Authentique); brown letter stickers (SEI); ink (Ranger); brads (craft supply); twine (The Twinery)

The lighting isn't the best on this photo- I got impatient waiting for some sunlight to peek through the clouds and rain for two days and ended up taking it at night with artificial light.  But, you get the idea, right?

That's it for now!  Happy Scrapping!

Patriotic Cards, Gift Bag and Tag for Kiwi Lane (#14, 15, 16 & 17)

Oh, sweet internet!  It's so good to have you back!!  (Let's just hope it stays on today and I don't lose this post... again.)  If you have stopped by from Kiwi Lane's Facebook page and couldn't find what you were looking for, it's because I didn't have it here.  Hopefully this will work today.  Third time's the charm...

These are the cards I made for Kiwi Lane using their Authentiqe Glory paper pack.  I added just a few things like buttons, twine and jewels (like these cute star-shaped ones I found at JoAnn for $1!)-

I think they are just so cute!  Here is a close up for each one with details listed below:

Finished card size: A2 (5 1/2" x 4 1/4")
Supplies: cardstock (Core'dinations); patterned paper (Authentique); button and twine (craft supply); ink (Ranger); Kiwi Lane templates (Celebrate 4, Tiny Shapes 3T, Tiny Accents 3T, Adorn 1A & B)
I saw the pinwheel and tiny star layered together on Debbie's Calendar page for July and loved it so much that I just had to try it!  I added an accordion folded paper flower, a button and some twine and it was perfect on the striped background.  Thanks for the inspiration, Debbie!

Finished card size: A2 (5 1/2" x 4 1/4")
Supplies: cardstock (Core'dinations); patterned paper (Authentique); ink (Ranger); twine (craft supply); jewels (JoAnn); Kiwi Lane templates (Journey 5, Adorn 3A)
I was just looking through photos of my cousin and his wife on a trip to Washington, D.C. and I kept seeing a shield-type shape with stripes and stars on it.  I loved the idea of something similar for a patriotic card and this is what I came up with!  I used the interstate sign from the Journey set instead of the shield from the Playtime set because it was closer to the shape I wanted.  Then I cut it out three times, one for each layer I wanted.  I used the striped one as my base, then used my paper trimmer to cut the top off the blue one and make sure it was a straight line.  Then I used the small Adorn scallop to trace and cut my cream layer, first marking where my blue layer hit the cream layer.  Then I inked and glued it together.  So here's my handy hint- use your templates for layering- just use part of the template for different layers.  It adds even more depth to your projects!

And here is the gift bag and tag-

Supplies (bag): patterned paper (Authentique); ink (Ranger); button and twine (craft supply); Kiwi Lane templates (Abbie Road 3B, Paisley Place 3B, Tiny Wildflower 5T, Adventure 1)

The bag is just one of those kraft paper bags you can pick up at the dollar store or craft stores.  I chose the craft color because I thought it looked good next to the off white of the paper, but you could use whatever color looks good to you.  I also used the large 12" templates and just trimmed off the excess paper with scissors.

Close up of the tag-

Supplies: patterned paper (Authentique); jewels (JoAnn); ink (Ranger); eyelet (We R Memory Keepers); twine (Divine Twine); Kiwi Lane templates (Tags 7, Tiny Accents 3T, Adorn 2A & B)
I wanted something to look like the crazy spray pattern of a firework and I tried a few things for this tag, but I wound up using this crazy curly paper.  I used my Martha Stewart Crafts fringe scissors to cut a piece of 3" x 1" paper, making 5 smaller strips.  Then I just used my fingers to curl them up and then pulled on them a bit to loosen the curls.  I then tucked it behind my star and adhered it.  I like how it turned out and I think I'm going to use the same technique on a page.

Well, my internet connection seems intact, so I'll go ahead and post this... fingers crossed!

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrapping!

#13

Here's what I came up with for the Scrapbooksteals.com Midweek Mojo Turquoise #5:

Supplies: patterned paper and stickers (Scenic Route), card stock (Core'dinations), ink (Ranger), embossing folder and machine (Cuttlebug), circle punches (Marvy Uchida) star templates (Kiwi Lane Designs)

I have to apologize for the weird angle of this layout- the lighting was off and I had to use a flash and in order to not have a glare on the photos, I had to take the picture at an angle.  But you get the idea, right?  I did the circles with 1" and 1/2" circle punches on a coordinating sticker sheet.  I embossed the green star and sanded the edges and the top of the embossing with a sanding sponge.  And, as usual, I inked the edges of almost everything with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to help everything stand out.

This was a super fast layout- we're talking 30 minutes!  Thanks to the awesome sketch provided by Scrapbooksteals.com!!

Happy Scrapping!

#12

And back to the Christmas layouts... :)  This one is based on the sketch for Scrapbooksteals.com's Midweek Mojo Turquoise 9- which you can view HERE.

Supplies: patterned paper (Crate Paper, Scenic Route, My Mind's Eye), brads (We R Memory Keepers), buttons (craft supply), twine (The Twinery), letter stickers (Making Memories), ribbon (Offray)


I feel like I should play a little game of "Where's the Kiwi Lane template shape?" when I post these layouts!  Because there's almost always one in there somewhere... can you find it this time?  Should there be a prize involved??  Hmmm... something to think about!

#11

Pieces of my Heart

Supplies: patterned paper, die cuts (Authentique); brads (Basic Grey); flower (Prima); jewels (My Mind's Eye); doilies (craft supply); ink (Ranger)

Oh my gosh!  Can I say how much I love this page?  Everything from the scrapbooksteals.com Turquoise 3 sketch to the paper (Authentique's Splendid collection) to the rosettes made with my Scor-pal to the photo- I couldn't have done this any better!  It just makes me smile... but it could just be the pic of my cute kids ;)

Happy Scrapping!